A Sickle A Month
by serpentilewitch
Summary: Remus Lupin finds an apartment for rent above a young girl's who insists she take him up on his offer for a sickle a month to rent. Remus LupinOriginal Character
1. A Father Figure?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I had to! It'd be on my mind for a while now, and while I'm simply ecstatic about the Lupin/Tonks pairing, I couldn't get this one out of my head at all, so…here it is!

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**Chapter 1: A Father Figure?**

"Ow!" Snatching her hand away from the offending stove, Shyzana glared at the appliance and sucked at her burned finger. All was not lost, however, as the food was only mildly singed, quite edible still, and the aroma of a scorched repast had not yet permeated the apartment. Quickly grabbing up a pair of hand towels off the countertop, Shyzana whisked the tray out of the oven and onto the table, where the wicked burning thing couldn't harm it any more.

"It's only one man, so I guess this much would be enough…" she muttered to herself as she cut away the better part of half the chicken and laid it in a tray alongside some seasoned rice, kebobs, and some pink, sweet mixture with a pudding-like texture. Wiping her brow absentmindedly, she smiled. So far so good. Food was ready, she was ready, and the hubbub of moving things had just died down upstairs. No better time than the present, eh?

A quick dash in front of the mirror showed Shyzana she was satisfactorily put together: a white shirt, with sleeves that tapered off at the elbow and whose neckline laced up halfway down the front, coupled with an ankle length, floral, blue skirt and soft, brown, leather sandals on her feet. She'd let her long, black hair set itself into a mess of half wavy, half straight lengths and left it at that. Hair wasn't important. She remembered the conversation with her new tenant back when she'd first agreed to rent out the upstairs to him.

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The phone had rung a shrill, startling note before Shyzana had snapped it up after disentangling herself from the business of unpacking her things into her new flat. "Hello?"

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was pleasant and deep with a rough undertone.

"This is Shyzana Chandler speaking," she prompted the voice. "And you are…?"

"Oh, right, excuse me. This is Remus Lupin; I'm calling in regards to the ad you placed in _The Prophet_ recently about a reasonably priced apartment flat? Situated above yours, I believe?" In addition to pleasant, he sounded quite cultured and respectable. This was a relief, as the seventeen year old girl was afraid the low renting price of the flat might attract shadier business.

Smiling to herself, she answered, "Yes, of course, a one bedroom, one bathroom flat above mine renting out for…" Shyzana paused and thought about it for a minute. This man sounded really nice. She would hate for him to miss an opportunity like this, and it wasn't as if she was renting it out for the money. "A Sickle a month is reasonable, I think?" There was a pause on the other end, prolonged so, that Shyzana began to worry. "Uh…Hel-hello? Sir, are you there?" Her voice bordered on anxious.

"A Sickle a month?" came the questioning reply from the other end. It was followed by yet another pause. "Ma'am…that is beyond reasonable. I don't know how up-to-date you are on real estate, ma'am, but a Sickle a month is much too generous."

Shyzana's smile widened. Such a nice and honest man! "Sir, I implore you to take me up on the offer, I'm aware of the current prices and such, but more aware of the lack of character among people and I'd much prefer having someone such as yourself living in the vicinity. If you take my meaning…" Long pause.

"It feels dishonest."

"We'll discuss the pricings later, then, shall we? You're free to move in at your leisure. It's empty."

"Ah, thanks very much, Madame." There was a smile on the other end that she could here through the line, now. "Have a good day, then."

"Yes, you too, Sir," she replied before hanging up and promptly doing a small happy dance. She was a success! Finally, she wouldn't have to be here all alone!

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He sounded so nice and kind and somewhat worn away…maybe she'd come to regard him as a father figure! He could teach her some nifty spellwork, and maybe she'd even have to endure "When I was young…" stories, and she could make him dinner some days and look after him if he fell ill. It was a nice living, she liked the thought of company very much indeed.

_'Enough of that!'_ she told herself. It was quite inappropriate to want a father figure when she had a perfectly fine father of her own. Of course, they weren't exactly on speaking terms, as it were, but that was beyond the point.

Picking up the ornate tray, Shyzana stepped out of her apartment, waited to hear the magical _click_ of the automatically locking door, and made her way upstairs to where her new tenant was supposedly done being semi-settled in.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, that's that, first chappie to this! Hope you liked it. No, this isn't very plot driven, so Shyzana isn't related to some weirdo who's going to try and make a big fuss outta summit. Just a small piece I hope to continue. Please review if you liked it and if you didn't, review and tell me everything that's wrong with it! 


	2. Remus Lupin

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, the ages have been tweaked, and the timing is…well, Voldemort's gone, now, lol, but…mkay, just go, none of the timing makes sense, but I don't care to have it so. Anywho, don't worry about that, just enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: Remus Lupin**

Balancing the tray wasn't hard, all the contents had a charm placed on them to keep anything from spilling over the rims. Shyzana ascended the steps and stood nervously before the door upstairs. She'd never been a landlady, and even in her own mind, seventeen seemed a bit young to start. She took several deep breaths and composed herself before knocking resolutely on the door and waiting with the tray before the door. She hoped he liked the apartment…had she forgotten anything? She didn't think so. All the furniture was there…the heat-

Her anxious thoughts were interrupted by the scraping noise of boxes being moved across the wood plank flooring and then, quite abruptly, the door was opened by a someone- a man. His politely confused expression was quickly replaced with a charming smile that made his gray eyes sparkle. His shabby robes were patched in numerous places, and his brown hair was flecked with gray, but despite that, he was surprisingly younger than she'd assumed he might be. Assuming this was the right man, of course.

"Hello, uh, Ms. Chandler, I presume?" He stepped back, indicating she could enter, and Shyzana did so, smiling in welcome. He seemed slightly taken aback by something, but recovered from the minor shock quickly and gracefully enough to take the tray off her hands without missing a beat.

"Hi, Mr. Lupin?" at his smile, she continued, her nervousness ebbing by the second. "Yes, I'm Miss Chandler…wow, it seems so strange…'Miss Chandler'…please, do call me Shyzana…it feels so self important to be called "Miss" anything. She offered him her hand in greeting and his rough, albeit gentle one gripped hers in a firm shake, accompanied by yet another smile.

"Shyzana…charmed." He glanced around the roomy living room, his gaze taking in the boxes, suitcase and a glass tank of some sort as he explained rather apologetically, "I, er, haven't really finished packing, so if you might be so kind as to excuse the mess?"

Shyzana waved it away, "Oh, of course, I daresay I was quite a bit early, but I wanted to be the first to welcome you." She smiled. It was so very good to have company. "I hope everything's okay and to your liking?"

"Oh, yes, very much so," was the courteous reply.

For lack of anything else to converse about, Shyzana pointed out the food. "That's, ah, just a little something I thought you might like. I don't know if you've ever had anything quite like it…it's foreign, you see. Not from these parts. Don't know if you'll take to it, but I thought it might be something different than the generic casserole and such." Mr. Lupin murmured his thanks and as there was nothing else to point out, or talk about, Shyzana took it as her cue to make her exit. "Well, I won't keep you. You don't need any help, do you?"

"Oh, no no, not at all, thanks all the same."

"Right. Er…well, I'll be going then." She smiled and made her way to the door. She wanted very much to come by later in the day to see if he'd settled in okay, if he needed anything or if there was anything that, as the landlady, she was supposed to be seeing to, however, she felt she'd already inflicted her presence on him enough as it were, what with interrupting him with his packing and all.

"Something the matter?" Mr. Lupin asked, a crease of concern forming at the slight furrow of his brows.

"Oh, no, I was just thinking, excuse me," Shyzana apologized, and stepped out of the flat as Remus Lupin held the door for her. As she turned to leave and he made to close it, Shyzana suddenly turned around and blurted, "Uh, you're welcome to come downstairs for dinner later if you've a mind to. I mean, seeing as how it would be a hassle to cook or anything when you've only just moved in…"

Her new tenant smiled as she nervously fiddled with her fingers, berating herself for accosting the unfortunate stranger before he'd even had a chance to breathe. She wasn't going to impose her friendliness on others so blatantly, yet here she was. Hopeless, really.

"Thank you very much, ah, Shyzana, I'd like that very much." He smiled and his genuine pleasure elated her. She smiled widely in return, gave a short, happy wave, and skipped down the stairs to her own quarters. This was great, he was indeed a truly honest man from what she'd just seen, if quite a bit younger than she'd thought. Ah, well, no harm in it. She was in a high mood indeed as she set about getting thoughts of dinner ready in her head.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: No, she hasn't fallen head over heels for Remus! She's just an exceptionally people person. Shyzana's not your average girl by any means at all, as readers who continue on through all the chapters will come to realize. She's got quirky ideas about everything and life in general, plus, she doesn't give two hoots what anybody else has got to say. Quite a bit like me, actually! Actually, now that I think of it…she's pretty much me with a different name. O.o How did that happen? I well, my character, my ideals and quirky ways, I suppose. Hoped you liked it! 


	3. Dinner

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Enjoy! The timing's out of whack, I'm telling you, but I'll fill you all in on that later, in the next chapter.

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**Chapter 3: Dinner**

It was only a few hours later that Shyzana started up dinner. At first, she wasn't quite sure what he'd like, so she went for some generic dishes that would be a good segway into the taste buds of people from her general area on the globe. _'Ease him into the spicy palette_,' she thought, grinning. There was some flat, round bread that resembled tacos, only thicker and with different flour, followed by some curry dishes. And just in case he didn't take to them very much, for she was rather unsure of his reaction, she could whip up some pasta on the spot. But that was only as needed, of course.

Glancing out the window, Shyzana contemplated the grassy meadow landscape it looked out onto and smiled as she watched the last crimson rays of the sun lie to rest beyond the green velvet. It was strange to think Diagon Ally was only a few winding, magical alleys away. The hustle and bustle she associated with Diagon Ally never reached this side of the view from her apartment. It was a serene thinking spot, or so she'd dubbed it. The previous owner had informed her that this region was called Caer Morgana. Interesting, although she doubted the real Morgan Le Fey had ever made her home here.

Blinking a couple times, Shyzana shook herself out of the haze of thoughts that frequently surrounded her, catching her unawares. She slid the airy-fairy, deep green curtains and turned. A shower seemed to be in order. Yes, a nice hot shower…

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Something of 25 minutes later, Shyzana stepped out, clad in a purple smart casual, evening robe with raised, dark purple floral embroidery along the neckline, cuffs, and hem. The robe was close-fitting, not snug yet, around the upper section and loose and flowing around the skirt. It seemed casual enough, yet formal enough at the same time. She shrugged. It'd have to do, in any case.

At 7:48, a small, purposeful knock could be heard, bringing a smile to Shyzana's lips. Finally. She got up from her perch on the forest green, squashy couch and made for the door, surreptitiously swiping a hand over her robes to straighten them out before throwing open the door. There stood Mr. Lupin, hands clasped behind his back, a set of slightly worn, unadorned, gray dress robes on his person, and a shy, pleasant smile on his face. "Am I too early?" he inquired.

Shyzana's grin widened, "No, but you're right on time. Come on in. I'm sorry, I'm not much better off than you, packing wise. You see, I only moved in about two weeks ago, so… Oh, but do have a seat, please." She indicated the couch and waited until he'd seated himself before sitting across the low table on the other couch, facing him and smiling. "You're actually my first guest," she said vaguely.

"How fortunate I didn't delay in accepting your offer, than, or I'm sure your hospitality would have snatched the title from me sooner rather than later," she replied, smile widening.

She laughed, "Oh, no, not really. I haven't been able to get out much, actually. So, ah, Mr. Lupin," she swung the conversation on a slight tangent. "Where do you work, exactly?"

A flicker passed over Mr. Lupin's face before he said, "Oh, well…I'm actually looking to become employed in the hopefully near future. Hopefully."

"Oh, you're in the same boat as me, then! But with Voldemort gone and everything, I expect there are more job openings now. What with empty spaces to fill and messes to clean up…"

"You just said his name." Far from being frightened or impressed, Mr. Lupin just seemed curious and somewhat intrigued.

"Yea." Shyzana tilted her head in thought and frowned slightly. "Muggles. My parents, that is, and all my family have always been, so you see, we were left rather in the dark about everything. As such, I never had any reason to fear the name. Didn't know what it entailed. By the time it did, it was too late, anyway. Besides, it seemed, and still does, silly to fear a name. To quote a remarkably overused quote, 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet' Shakespeare. Or, in this case, he whose name we invoked would be just as evil, regardless of whether we choose to say his name or not." She shrugged. "That's just how it's always been with me. On the same note," she added. "I noticed you don't flinch at the sound of said name." She lifted an eyebrow to accentuate her question.

"I suppose my reasoning is the same…" he started. "Well, that and the fact that Dumbledore's never been afraid to say his name, and I've just taken my cue from there."

Shyzana nodded, and a thoughtful silence filled the space of the five seconds it took her to recall her manners. "Oh, Merlin's beard, here I am, engaging you in conversation on an empty stomach. Tsk, tsk, I must've left my manners wherever I left the fear of Voldemort's name, honestly." Chiding herself silently, and smiling at Mr. Lupin's quiet chuckling, she led him to the dining room. A square table covered with a white tablecloth and laden with food awaited them.

She wondered for a moment why he followed her to her seat, before he pulled out her chair and she realized the immense gentlemanly-ness of him. Laughing, she said, "Oh, dear, you really didn't have to…how very- erm, thanks!" He smiled and walked over to his side, taking his seat, and glancing across the table. The smile slipped off his face, although he made a valiant attempt to cover it. She followed his gaze to the silverware and quirked an eyebrow. "Something the matter, Sir?"

He laughed weakly, and said in a would-be casual voice, "That's quite some expensive silverware for a dinner. Heh…"

She grinned, relieved it was a matter so simply solved, "Oh, it's not _real_. No, I can't afford anything like that." She laughed, relieved, as he visibly relaxed and became almost immediately at ease with the environment. "Rest assured," she continued. "That were I able to afford such silverware, I most definitely would have set it out tonight."

"No! Ah, that is to say, I'm really partial to…ah, stainless steel…" Mr. Lupin fidgeted with his napkin for an uncomfortable few seconds as Shyzana tilted her head and scrutinized him.

"Are you quite sure you're alright, Sir?" she asked, concerned. He was behaving rather oddly… But she supposed, he was her guest and he had, of course, the benefit of the doubt.

"Oh, fine, truly, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

But she smiled and waved it away, "Oh, no need to apologize, Sir. It's quite alright. Now, do start eating before everything gets cold and all my hard work goes down the drain." After they'd both piled their plates, Shyzana noted with happy satisfaction that his was piled no less than her own, Mr. Lupin cleared his throat.

"I believe you wanted me to call you by your given name, Shyzana?" It was a question. She nodded, not sure where this was going. A smile played at the edges of his lips and he continued. "If it wouldn't be too much to ask you, then, Shyzana, I have a similar request. I think it'd be better if you addressed me as 'Remus' or 'Lupin'. Mr. Lupin sounds…strange, to say the least. And 'Sir' reminds me of my teaching days." He grinned.

"Oh…well, alright then, Si-" she caught herself and smiled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Uh, Remus- er- Lupin? Umm…Remus?" She tried the name out tentatively, glancing at him to see that he didn't think it too informal. At his encouraging smile, she smiled and repeated it, sounding surer of herself. "Alright, then, Remus. Remus it is." She sipped her punch (for as she'd flatly informed him, she absolutely refused to carry any alcoholic beverages whatsoever. A fact he seemed to have no problem with, which greatly pleased her), and said, "So, you taught? Where at?"

"Hogwarts- Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Shyzana's eyes lit up, "Oh, really? How very interesting! I daresay I could learn quite a bit from you, then! Excellent!" He grinned at her. "I'm assuming you went to school there as well, in your past?"

"Indeed."

And so the dinner passed in conversation, in which Shyzana learned a bit more of her tenant and she in turn, enlightened him a bit on her own life. "I hate to be the one to bring up business, Shyzana, but you did say we'd discuss pricing at a later time, and now is later…"

Shyzana cleared her throat. "Well, yes, and I still stand by my offer of earlier. A sickle a month." As Remus opened his mouth to argue, Shyzana held up a hand to stop him and hurried to explain, "You see, I'm not renting out the upstairs for the money. It's the company I really wanted. I ran away from home, you see…it's still a rather strange feeling, realizing this, but it's the truth, and I've been relatively alone since I stormed out, and while I don't have much, it's enough for me to find a job and make more, hopefully. As such, I don't need nor do I want your money. But your presence is always welcome. You can drop by any time you wish to, I'd enjoy it." She smiled and looked down at her plate, wondering if she hadn't maybe said too much. He might've gotten the wrong idea… It wasn't like _that_ or anything, she just…there was something about people…

Remus propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on the intertwined fingers. It was from this position that he observed the girl sitting before him, twisting her napkin into something that pulled her eyes away from his. "You're very different," he said finally. The napkin seemed to become less interesting as she looked up and smiled hesitantly, asking if it was a good thing or bad thing, and then shrugged.

"Yes, I know, and I like it that way. I know I'm strange, but I'd rather be different than be the same." She tilted her head, regarding him briefly. "So, are you taking me up on my offer?"

Remus sighed and grinned ruefully, "You know, I wouldn't if a sickle wasn't all I happened to have on me right now." She laughed and watched as he reached into his pocket and drew out a small, napkin-wrapped bundle. "It's real, you can see," he assured her.

She smiled and pocketed the thing without glancing inside. "Okay," she said, as they both rose in a mutual ending of the night. "Thanks very much for taking the time to join me for dinner, by the way, Remus."

"Well, thank _you_ very much for inviting me. I must say, you're a lot younger than I had anticipated. You can't be more than, what, 19? 20?"

She giggled, "I only just recently turned 17," she informed him, and watched as the expected look of surprise crossed his face. "But it was the same from my end, as well. I thought you'd be quite a bit older than you turned out to be."

"Twenty-seven. It's old enough."

"Not nearly as old as you seem to think." The conversation ended as they had reached the door, and she held it open for him. "Have a nice night, Remus."

He smiled, giving her a semi-bow and a smile, he answered, "Thanks, and the same to you, Shyzana."

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter felt somewhat forced. O.o TT Please review it! Thanks very much! 


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